Running With Friends and Other Stuff

Most of the time I end up running alone. In fact, a quick query of my mental mainframe reveals that I’ve run everyone of my 28 runs in 2008 by my lonesome, as I’ve done for each of my past 29 runs. In fact, the last run I can remember logging with another person was five miles with my sister on Christmas eve. I don’t mind running alone … and, in fact, I enjoy it in many ways. That said, I’m looking forward to the next five days. After having not run with another sole in more than a month, I’ll have company for four of my next five run and each will be with an out of town friend. Tomorrow, I’ll run with my former training partner who’s back in town on business after moving to Seattle. On Thursday morning, I’ll hit the Mall with a top New England ultrarunner. Then on Saturday a former running clubmate will check out my new digs and hit the road with me. Lastly, on Sunday, Sean “Centerfold” Meissner will destroy me on a long run.

In other news, I started training for Hardrock yesterday. Instead of taking the elevator at work, I’m taking the stairs. Of course, this training could end on Saturday if I’m not pulled in the lottery. There are fewer folks in the lottery (327 crazy brave souls as of 1/26/08) than I had expected … but perhaps, that’s because an abnormally high percentage of folks with blogs I read have talked about and then entered the lottery. On my run last evening, I calculated that even thought there is almost half a year until Hardrock, it is unlikely that all my work stair climbing put together still won’t match Hardrock’s 33,000’+ of elevation gain! Regardless, I don’t think that climbing the stairs everyday can hurt.

I’ve also started gaining weight… but I only checked after noticing this morning that my body composition is improving. No more bubblicious belly.

Which gets me to this evening’s run. I definitely felt like a runner tonight. I ran home from work, which involves a shallow but sustained climb up from the Potomac River to Ballston. When I’m completely out of shape, this is a death march; today it was just me running. The six and a half miles flew by before I knew it. At some point in the past I’ve written about the lightswitch like day that normally occurs somewhere between 10 days and two weeks after I start training again after a layoff. I’m a full four weeks into training and that day never really came this go round. Instead, my progress has been much more gradual, yet it has been unrelenting. There have been individual bad days, but not real steps backwards. Today was the closest to that day. I felt good.

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Take the Stairs! Even if I’m no longer training for Hardrock, I’ve taken a liking to taking the stairs instead of the elevator...

I'm a newbie to reading this blog, but I glanced at some of your archived posts, and it's a great combo of wisdom and self-deprecation…good stuff…anyway, just wanted to wish you luck this year with Hardrock…last year I trained for Massanutten by climbing the stairs at my office in NE DC, and by running the 10 miles from the office to my house in South Arlington (best are snowy days when you yak trak the Mall). So I just wanted to say that I can relate to the highs and lows you've written about in terms of your run commute (Like when you wrote earlier about "no energy" in December when it was a death March, and now the easy breezy stroll home). Love your idea about running through neighborhoods to check out housing styles, etc. I'm going to try that out with my 2-year-old in the jogging stroller…Again, best of luck if you get into Hardrock…

Stairs is a great reminder…if I do get into HR:) I work on 7th floor, I don't think I'll be eager to walk if I am not in. Keep your fingers crossed! Fat chance, really, for me, somehow I don't have a sense of getting in this year…

Holy comment-fest folks! Meissner, I can only hope you'll autograph something for me. Maybe my shoes, maybe my forehead, but there's no way you're defacing my latest issue of Ultrarunning. That baby's still in mint condition.Tony, Those extra stairs we'll help you get up Jack or whoever's mountain out at Grand Teton this summer. Ditch the elevator, hit the stairs. You'll be saving electricity while you're at it!Charlie,Glad to have you join the iRunFar community. It's good to have you here. Sounds like we have some similar training ideas – might as well make necessities into something more. Right now I'm in a pickle as the shower on my floor at work busted yesterday. Actually, it leaked onto the floor below while I was showering! Oops! Enjoy your neighborhood strolls – where in South Arlington are you? Keep your fingers crossed for me on Saturday!Angie, you got it. Onwards and upwards!AR, Centerfold should be pretty excited to see me – rumor is I'm f'in adorable. That said, I'm pretty sure he's looking forward to seeing you a bit more. ;-) Olga,Take the stairs regardless of the HRH lottery! um, it's not like you don't do other "hilly" races! Hopefully, I'll see you in Silverton in July!

Kelly, HRH IS an awesome race… but, alas, it's no longer in my plans for this year. I'll find something fun for this year for sure! :-) Glad I can help motivate you! Get out there and keep at it. Centerfold, thanks for autographing my copy of Ultrarunning this weekend. You're right, it's much better now than it was in mint condition.